Slides in this set

Slide 1

Slide 2

Introduction· There is little debate among historians as to the aim of Stresemann's foreign policy, which was to restore Germany's "great power" status. Yet some have claimed that Stresemann failed in his main foreign policy objective of revising the Versailles Treaty. But this has been countered by those who point to Stresemann's considerable success given the difficult international situation in which he was operating.…read more

Slide 3

Argument For· Fulfilment- Significant progress was made towards the revision of some of the articles of the Versailles Treaty that dominated foreign policy during this period. This was done by "fulfilment" i.e. by fulfilling the terms of the treaty Germany could show how unjust and unworkable they were.· Soviet Union- Simultaneously, Germany worked towards agreement with the soviet union as shown by the Treaty of Berlin of 1926, which prompted the Western Powers into a more sympathetic approach to Germany.· Locarno- The achievements of German diplomacy in the Stresemann era are considerable, in particular the understanding with France over the occupation of the Rhineland.…read more

Slide 4

Argument For · Revision of Versailles- The fact the solution to the problem of the Rhineland was linked to reparations payments by the Young Plan in 1929-30 was testimony to both the desire of all parties to find a collective solution to the problems facing them, but also the success of Stresemann's tactics to effect a revision of the Versailles treaty.…read more

Slide 5

Argument For· Growing diplomatic influence- Most importantly Stresemann's policies resulted in Germany regaining diplomatic influence and the ability to influence allies. The most important aspects of the revision of the Versailles treaty were the two plans to reorganise reparations i.e. Dawes and Young Plans, which gave Germany some breathing space to develop her economy.· The Dawes Plan- There is little doubt that the Dawes Plan was fundamental in strengthening the German industrial base and in developing better relations with the USA, in particular improving trade.· The Young Plan- The Young Plan of 1929 was Stresemann's last major diplomatic achievement. Most importantly, it linked the evacuation of the Rhineland to the revision of reparation payments.…read more

Slide 6

Argument AgainstThe Success Stresemann enjoyed was not recognised universally inGermany, where there was no apparent consensus on the best tacticsto force a revision of the Versailles Treaty. In this sense, therefore, it isimpossible to conclude that Stresemann's diplomacy resulted indomestic political stability.…read more